MIAMI HEAT UP LATE TO DOWN CSKA
Last week the reigning NBA champions, the L.A. Lakers, lost to FC Barcelona. The Miami Heat avoided a similar result as they defeated CSKA Moscow 96-85 but the win came with a scare.
The Russian team are a formidable foe after making the Euroleague Final Four for the last nine straight years and they demonstrated their power by grabbing a 44-39 lead at half-time.
The Heat, playing without the injured Dwyane Wade, rallied for the victory but there was a scare when LeBron James, having scored 22 points, limped off the court late in the third quarter with cramp as the crowd took an audible intake of breathe.
“You couldn’t help but to hear,” said James, who is likely sit out Miami’s next pre-season game against New Orleans as a precaution.
“After seeing D. Wade go down in the first couple of minutes of our first pre-season game and then to see me grab my hamstring, I knew exactly what they felt. But I’m fine and I could be ready for the next game.”
Down to the Big 1, Chris Bosh scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half as the Heat avoided an embarrassing reverse with 23-4 run in the third.
Trajan Langdon led the Russians with 20.
“We’ve played against NBA teams before,” said the former Duke University star. “We know that this is a very good Heat team. We know that there is a lot of new players here. We’ve been in camp a little bit longer than them so I think our rhythm and playing together, we know what we’re doing a little bit more than they do at this time in terms of knowing each other.”
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